


Making Things Right

by phantomthief_fee



Series: Reunion AU [4]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: There's a lot of yelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 20:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13348494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Susie tries to make amends with the Lawrences. It goes about as well as expected.





	Making Things Right

Susie hadn’t exactly been...pleasant prior to her disappearance. First of all, she’d gotten furious with Sammy when he wouldn’t take her side over Allison’s. Cordelia had been bringing Sammy coffee when she’d heard the argument taking place. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Susie.” She heard Sammy saying. “It’s not her fault Joey gave her the role.”

“She’s trying to steal Alice from me!” Susie yelled, and Cordelia could hear the older woman stamp her foot. Cordelia pressed herself against the wall, the coffee tray in her hands shaking. 

“She’s just doing her job. Please, lower your voice.”

“You love her more than you love me!”

“What? No! You’re blowing this way out of proportion, Susie!”

“You’re a traitor!” Then the sound of hand hitting face echoed through the music department. Cordelia almost dropped the tray. A moment later, Susie stormed out of Sammy’s office, tears in her eyes. 

“Don’t trust him.” She said, looking to Cordelia before stalking away. Hands still shaking, Cordelia made her way into the office. Sammy sat at his desk, one hand clutching his cheek. 

“Oh my- What happened?” Cordelia rushed over, setting the tray on his desk. 

“Just a disagreement,” Sammy said rather half-heartedly. “You shouldn’t worry about it.” 

“A-Are you sure?” Cordelia asked. “I mean, she slapped you.” Personally, she didn’t want to get anywhere near Susie when the voice actress was this angry, but it didn’t seem right to just let her assault people. In addition, she was starting to worry that Susie only liked her because Cordelia seldom said anything contradictory. 

“She’ll come around.” Sammy smiled tiredly. “You should get back to work.” Cordelia nodded slowly, reluctantly setting the coffee mug on his desk before scurrying out. Sammy disappeared the next week, and things only got worse from there. Susie was a terror on everyone who got close to her. She harassed Allison every chance she got and badmouthed Sammy as much as she could, even going so far as to bother his family. Cordelia hadn’t been there when Susie had victimized Nancy, but she’d seen the immediate aftermath. She’d come to the tattoo parlour after work to find Nancy in tears, with the others consoling her. After that, Cordelia had done her best to distance herself from Susie. By the time she actually left the studio, it was almost a relief. It was like a weight had been lifted. She was so happy to be free of the studio and of the toxic environment it brought with it. She went back to school, got her teaching degree, and started working at an elementary school. She was happier than she’d been in years. But at the same time, so many people connected with Joey Drew Studios were missing. When Father Lawrence had assembled his search party, she’d tried to talk them out of it, but none of them would listen. In the days following the disappearance of the search party, Joshua had kept her nearby. She hadn’t objected, being rather shaken up herself. 

Years passed and they all went on with their lives. Jacob grew up, the tattoo parlour continued business, and Cordelia became a beloved teacher. Then Henry went to the studio himself. And when he returned, it was with people none of them had thought they’d ever see again. Sammy, Norman, Allison Susie...Henry came back with all of them. Everyone was both surprised and ecstatic. It was so good to see all of them again. Although, Susie was still the same as she’d always been, and the Lawrence family wasn’t ready to forgive her just yet. Cordelia was taking their side on this matter. She didn’t like bullies. She’d been bullied in school and was absolutely not going to tolerate it, especially now that she had enough confidence to stand up to people. But she was the one who would have the least volatile reaction to Susie, so Cordelia was the one Susie chose to go to. Cordelia was grading some homework while waiting for Joshua to get home when Susie entered. 

“Are you busy?” She asked, leaning on the door frame.

“Well, I could do with a break.” Cordelia put down her pen. “What can I do for you, Susie?” Susie crossed her arms and pursed her lips, looking more than a little uncomfortable with the situation. 

“Well, you know how Sammy’s family kind of hates me now?” She asked. 

“Because you were a massive bitch, yes.”

“Geez, you got bitter,” Susie said. 

“I got confident. There’s a difference.” Cordelia leaned on her hands. “So, what about Sammy’s family hating you?”

“I...I don’t want them to hate me.” Susie shifted uncomfortably. 

“You want to make things right.” Cordelia’s expression softened a bit. 

“...Something like that.” Susie shrugged slightly. “I don’t like people not liking me. It’s just not right.” Cordelia sighed. That certainly sounded like Susie. 

“Well, I’ll see what I can do.” She shuffled the homework away. “Let’s to the parlour. Some of them are bound to be there.”

“Right now?” Susie’s eyes widened and she took a step back.

“No time like the present.” Cordelia took Susie’s hand and dragged her to the Ink Spectre Parlor. Susie stopped outside the door. 

“I can’t do this.” She said. “They’re not going to believe me.”

“You need to try.” Cordelia pulled her inside. Almost immediately, the friendly chatter ceased. All eyes were on Susie and Cordelia. 

“What’s  _ she _ doing here?” Jacob asked, his face contorting in disgust. Sammy hunkered down, avoiding looking at her. Nancy narrowed her eyes and began to leave the room.

“She’s here to apologize,” Cordelia said. “She wants to make things right.”

“Apologize?” Nancy turned on her heel, her face a mask of unbridled rage. “After everything she did to us, she thinks one little ‘I’m sorry’ is going to make things right?!”

“Nancy-” Sammy tried to talk his sister down, but she wasn’t having it. 

“I’m not letting this go!” Nancy snapped, cutting him off. “She terrorized our family for months! She had the nerve to say you left us after you disappeared! She has no conscience and no dignity and I refuse to have her think that just saying she’s sorry will fix anything!”

“Nancy-”

“You weren’t there, Sammy!” Nancy was trying not to cry. “Mom was grieving and that bitch rubbed salt in the wound!”

“It’s not fair!” Jacob joined her, standing up. “Why did she get to come back and not Dad? She should have died!”

“I knew it wouldn’t work.” Susie’s expression darkened and she stormed out. Cordelia sighed and leaned against the door. Joshua came out from the back of the parlour. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked. “I heard a lot of yelling.”

“Everything’s fine.” Nancy wiped away her tears. “I’m going on break.” Then she brushed past Joshua to go to the back. 

“I brought Susie by because she wanted to make things right,” Cordelia explained. “It...didn’t go well.”

“She deserved it,” Jacob muttered, sitting down again. 

“No, she didn’t.” Sammy tried to scold him, but he was still too shaken up. 

“It’s something we’ll have to work on,” Joshua assured her, putting a hand on her back. “It’ll be alright. I promise.” Cordelia just nodded and joined Sammy and Jacob on the couch.


End file.
